As much as I enjoyed the series and the characters that appeared in all three books, this particular plot was strange and unbelievable. ( )

Although I was a little put off by the religious overtones of this book, I truly enjoyed the writing. It was heartwarming and evoked memories of the people I have loved and lost in my life. ( )

Deborah Raney has done it again! She has written another great story in the Clayburn Series. This can definately be stand-alone story, although there are a few characters mentioned from the first two books in this series. This story touched on some emtionally tough situations, and they were all handled very well. There was the death of a spouse, the loss of a mother and child, the emotions that follow, the mistakes that can be made and the love that can eventually be found. There is also the hurt one can feel when rejected. Emotions ran high when I read this story, at times there was deep sadness, at other times happiness and at one point even tears. There were alot of good lessons to learn for anyone going through a death of a loved one and then the contemplation of marrying again; and for someone thinking about marrying someone who has lost a loved one.

Douglas DeVore never thought he would be left with 5 kids to raise on his own, with two jobs trying to keep the bills paid. He never thought his life would change one day and his beloved Kaye and their little Rachel would be gone.
Mickey Valdez, a 30 something single daycare teacher, is aware of the tragedy, as some of the children are in her daycare. But she has never known Doug as anyone other than a happily married father of some of her daycare children. So when she tries to reach out and help him, she begins to discover her feelings for him. But are his feelings for her love or some other need in his life right now? Can they figure out their true feelings before someone gets terribly hurt?

Your heart will feel for each of these characters and your emotions will go from sorrow to joy and back again. But when you are done, you will hopefully say you were really glad you read this book. ( )

I received Yesterday's Embers by Deborah Raney as a LibraryThing EarlyReviewers book.

Yesterday's Embers follows Douglas DeVore, who loses his wife and daughter on Thanksgiving Day in a tragic accident. With five more children to raise, Doug reaches out to Mickey Valdez, whose daycare center the remainder of Doug's children attend. Very quickly, a romance develops.

I had a hard time getting through this novel--the core of the plot didn't ring true with me. Still, the writing was solid and for those looking for an uplifting romance, Yesterday's Embers might strike a chord. I also want to note that I haven't read the previous books in the series, although I'm not sure if that would have been necessary. ( )

I found this book boring and the characters unbelievable. I found it ridiculous that the main male character was supposed to be a volunteer firefighter, yet didn't have a carbon monoxide detector in his own home. The relationship between Doug and Mickey moved WAY too fast for someone who had just lost a spouse in a tragic accident. Mickey had apparently already had feelings for another widower, so her interest in Doug was almost comical, as if she was just searching for a ready-made family. The relationship with Mickey to the children was stereotypical at best. And the whole pregnancy thing...ridiculous. Aren't autopsies required in any death at home where no one is present? Two thumbs down on this one. ( )